Also, why not switch *back* to non-GM? Does GM food damage the soil in a different way than non-GM?
Traditional farming is build on situated experience and local variants of seed highly optimised to the local area through years of sorting. The only way to preserve that is to keep seeds from one year to the next. When the seeds are lost generations of experience is lost with them. So only a few years farming without planting local crops its lost.
And a lot of GMO grops only work one year at the time so it can´t be kept to the next year. So in order to grow new seeds the farmers have to sell his corn to the producers of the seed and the chemicals, trapping him in a economical headlock
What does any of this have to do with educating farmers about good farming techniques? Or training vets? I'm talking about setting up a system to educate local populations.
Sorry, I was thinking in reference to GM seeds. Education with that isn't really helpful. Definitely more education about native strains would be helpful. But the simple introduction of GM seeds destroys the balance that's there natively. Destroying that is what I'm saying is a problem. Further education to help and encourage that to grow is what would be good.
So, if you're talking about GM seeds, I think you're plan has flaws. If you're speaking about native farming techniques, that's good.
Either way, the west 'pushing' GM seeds is detrimental.
You're too stuck on GM foods. What if the people there are educated enough to decide for themselves if they want GM foods? What if they are educated enough to decide if they want price control or not? I think that would be the best solution. It would be the final kiss off to their European overlords. Ooops I mean benefactors.
Scott: For free choice to work we need to have a real choice. Even Adam Smith recognised that.
If the fulfillment of basic nessesaties is bound to one company (as it is with almost all non-local crops) your LIFE and the life of your family is dependent on that company in all future (okay a small exaggeration). What happens when that firm doesn´t need your crops anymore? What do you do then? You have practically become the slave of that company.
Remember all those who realised that the future was communication and telephone lines were made of copper? They went to work in the copper mines to dig out the gold of the information age. What happened next? Fiber optics...
Free trade and free choice is great as long as your ensured your basic needs. To base your entire economy on the production of ONE export good is the worst thing to do. your not only risking your own life but the welfare of everybody around you and certainly not the way out of poverty. What if the entire american economy was depending on WorldCom? or the production of tape recorders?
And please stop the constant use of the euro-card. Anti-americanism and eurocentrism is not the explanation of 90% of what happens on the earth as you make it look like. Please use real arguments instead.
Comments
Originally posted by groverat
Also, why not switch *back* to non-GM? Does GM food damage the soil in a different way than non-GM?
Traditional farming is build on situated experience and local variants of seed highly optimised to the local area through years of sorting. The only way to preserve that is to keep seeds from one year to the next. When the seeds are lost generations of experience is lost with them. So only a few years farming without planting local crops its lost.
And a lot of GMO grops only work one year at the time so it can´t be kept to the next year. So in order to grow new seeds the farmers have to sell his corn to the producers of the seed and the chemicals, trapping him in a economical headlock
Originally posted by Scott
What does any of this have to do with educating farmers about good farming techniques? Or training vets? I'm talking about setting up a system to educate local populations.
Sorry, I was thinking in reference to GM seeds. Education with that isn't really helpful. Definitely more education about native strains would be helpful. But the simple introduction of GM seeds destroys the balance that's there natively. Destroying that is what I'm saying is a problem. Further education to help and encourage that to grow is what would be good.
So, if you're talking about GM seeds, I think you're plan has flaws. If you're speaking about native farming techniques, that's good.
Either way, the west 'pushing' GM seeds is detrimental.
If the fulfillment of basic nessesaties is bound to one company (as it is with almost all non-local crops) your LIFE and the life of your family is dependent on that company in all future (okay a small exaggeration). What happens when that firm doesn´t need your crops anymore? What do you do then? You have practically become the slave of that company.
Remember all those who realised that the future was communication and telephone lines were made of copper? They went to work in the copper mines to dig out the gold of the information age. What happened next? Fiber optics...
Free trade and free choice is great as long as your ensured your basic needs. To base your entire economy on the production of ONE export good is the worst thing to do. your not only risking your own life but the welfare of everybody around you and certainly not the way out of poverty. What if the entire american economy was depending on WorldCom? or the production of tape recorders?
And please stop the constant use of the euro-card. Anti-americanism and eurocentrism is not the explanation of 90% of what happens on the earth as you make it look like. Please use real arguments instead.
"Mmmm Cherie. Isn't it good? Mmmm."
"Oh no, Tony, no. My guru says I musn't."
"But Cherie, we HAVE to."
Originally posted by Scott
What if the people there are educated enough to decide for themselves if they want GM foods?
They asked for non-GM corn and we told them to fsck off. They were educated enough to know they didn't want it, at least at this point in time.